[ldavison10]

hi,
I am relatively new to this and this will only be my 2nd year of sowing, growing and eating veg. I have a small garden and grow veg in the border and in a smallsoil triangle. Anyway my questions are;
1) I still have sprouts in the ground from last year, these are about 18" high and seem to have survived okay. Do i now dig these up? Ive not had a single sprout off them!
2) Likewise cabbages, ive about 10 small ones still growing (i think). If i leave these until better weather will they grow larger or is it better to plant new?
3) My 15 broadbeans i planted in december seem very flimsy in the wind, do i pile soil up the base of them to make them more secure or try to replant them deeper?
4) I seem to get an average of everything. No sprouts, mediocre cabbages, medium to small carrots. The only succesful things were broad beans, tomatoes, peppers and cucumber. My onions rotted almost the day after i planted them! Im kind to the veg, ive manured, fish boned and dug till im sore. The soil is well drained and weed free. This time around i want to get it right before i start so can anyone offer some tips?
5) Can i compost tomato plants or should i burn them due to risk of disease? Should i put all available compost into the borders or leave some to help rot the rest?
6) Should i start planting out now? (March 08)
7) Is there any difference in the seed 'manufacturers' any brand better than others?

Thanks all, I can see me becoming a bit of a regular on here!

Regards
Lee

[paintedlady]

:shock: what a lot of questions!

First of all, welcome to the site.  Got quite a puzzle here.  You seem to be doing all the right things - dig, manure, weed etc.

I assume you get enough sunlight - especially if you are successful with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers.  Leads me to wonder - is the garden well sheltered, and does it therefore get very hot?  A lot of brassicas prefer "cool" conditions.

Also I assume everything gets well watered (no dry patches?)  What is the soil like -  brassicas prefer a high pH in contrast to the tomatoes which like it more acidic.  Perhaps you need to lime the soil where the brassicas (cabbage, sprouts etc) will grow.  Legumes such as peas and beans (broad as well as french & runner) like the soil with a raised pH too.

Also, is it sand or clay soil.  I've heard that brassicas grown on sandy soil aren't as good as those grown on clay but I can't say for sure.  When planting brassicas, do you firm the soil down well?  They don't like it loose.

Sowing schedule - sow your seeds according to the supplier instructions, but perhaps do batches over the range eg from mid-March to May.  It may be you are sowing too late, and last year was pretty poor weather which may have affected their growth.  Please do follow the packet instructions rather than hazard a guess when it should be.  For example, swedes are better sown in May to avoid the activities of the flea beetle, but some cauliflowers need to be sown in February.

[gobs]

Hi, Ida,

We all had a rubbish year, for starters last season, do not get put off.

Also, experience will show itself.

1) I still have sprouts in the ground from last year, these are about 18" high and seem to have survived okay. Do i now dig these up? Ive not had a single sprout off them!

If they have small sprouts forming in the leaf nodes, apply some pelleted chicken manure, hoe it in and hope for best. If there is nothing still on them forming I'd say, forget it, harvest the leafy tops, use as cabbage and compost the rest.

2) Likewise cabbages, ive about 10 small ones still growing (i think). If i leave these until better weather will they grow larger or is it better to plant new?

Do the same and don't dispear, they should do something in the spring.

3) My 15 broadbeans i planted in december seem very flimsy in the wind, do i pile soil up the base of them to make them more secure or try to replant them deeper?

If you did not plant deep enough earth up till the first leaves.

4) I seem to get an average of everything. No sprouts, mediocre cabbages, medium to small carrots. The only succesful things were broad beans, tomatoes, peppers and cucumber. My onions rotted almost the day after i planted them! Im kind to the veg, ive manured, fish boned and dug till im sore. The soil is well drained and weed free. This time around i want to get it right before i start so can anyone offer some tips?

First years on a new plot, can mean too much weeding and digging no time to look after what got planted. It will get better.

When did you plant said onions, please?
And the carrots, what variety were they and when they got sown, suppose you sowed them in situ.

5) Can i compost tomato plants or should i burn them due to risk of disease? Should i put all available compost into the borders or leave some to help rot the rest?

If you had no disease, you can happily compost them.
6) Should i start planting out now? (March 0Cool

depends what and as the weather is, not much really...
7) Is there any difference in the seed 'manufacturers' any brand better than others?

Personal preference. They all need to adhere to certain quality rules, so all the common and big names are Ok, some have more choice, some are cheaper than others.